Portable exercise device

ABSTRACT

A portable exerciser device for conducting two-person sit-ups is disclosed. The portable exerciser device has a hand-pulling assembly comprised of two hand holds joined by a connector. When combined into a kit, the additional elements may include a storage bag, shoe sole adhesive, shoe sole adhesive remover, one or more exerciser pads, and device information.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to the field of portableexercise devices. In particular, the present invention relates to atwo-person portable exercise device for performing sit-up exercises.

BACKGROUND

A sit-up is a well known exercise for strengthening and buildingabdominal muscles. It is particularly used for military training andsports, e.g. soccer. A sit-up is an exercise that can be performedconveniently without equipment, and with a minimal space requirement.However, for many people, it is very difficult to do sit-ups aloneeither due to weak abdominal muscles, of a general lack of an exerciseregimen. Someone who is unfit finds it difficult to do sit-ups andexercise important core muscles. Additionally, there is the likelihoodof strain and injury.

Over the past several years, numerous types of exercise equipmenttargeting the abdominal muscles have been developed. Some of these arequite bulky; others are portable. These types of exercise equipment aregenerally designed to be used by one person. It well known thatexercising with a companion or teammate may lead to a more enjoyableexercise session. This potential increase in the social or team aspectof exercising may encourage a higher level of commitment to continuingthe exercise regimen.

While previous exercise devices have attempted to solve the problemsthat they addressed, none have utilized or disclosed a portable assemblyfor doing two person sit-ups without bulky equipment, as doesembodiments of the present invention.

Accordingly, there is a need for a portable exercise device which canassist two people in performing sit-up exercises by leveraging the bodyweight of the other person. It is desirable to have such equipment belightweight, compact, inexpensive, easy to operate and transport. Thepresent invention is particularly suited to address these needs in amanner not previously contemplated.

Therefore, a need exists for a portable exercise device with theseattributes and functionalities. The portable exercise device accordingto embodiments of the invention substantially departs from theconventional concepts and designs of the prior art. It can beappreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improvedsystem and method which can be used commercially for doing two-personsit-ups. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfillsthese objectives.

The foregoing information reflect the state of the art of which theinventor is aware and is tendered with a view toward discharging theinventor's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information thatmay be pertinent to the patentability of the present invention. It isrespectfully stipulated, however, that the foregoing information do notteach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, theinventor's claimed invention.

SUMMARY

The general purpose of the present invention, which will be describedsubsequently in greater detail, is to provide a portable exercisedevice. In particular, the present invention relates to a portableexercise device that facilitates two-person sit-ups.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a portable exercisedevice for assisting two persons to do sit-up exercises together. Theportable exercise device is comprised of a hand-pulling assembly. Thehand-pulling assembly is comprised of a pair of hand holds that arejoined by a connector. In use the pair of hand holds is in asubstantially perpendicular relation to the longitudinal axis of theconnector; however the hand holds have the freedom to pivot and rotateif desired.

To aid in describing the assembly, one hand hold is designated as afirst hand hold and the other hand hold is designated as a second handhold; the connector has a first hand hold end and a second hand hold endwhere the connector is connected to the first hand hold by a joining ofthe first hand hold end to the first hand hold and by a joining of thesecond hand hold end to the second hand hold. When only one connector isused the connector ends connect at roughly the longitudinal center ofeach hand hold. When two connectors are used, they connect at pointsroughly equidistant from the longitudinal center of each hand hold. Whenthree connectors are used, one connects at a point roughly at thelongitudinal center of each hand hold and the other two connectorsconnect at points roughly equidistant from the longitudinal center ofeach hand hold. This pattern of arrangements of connectors may continuewhen more than three connectors are used.

Each hand hold may be formed to have finger grips. These finger gripsmay have a coating or other method of improving the ability of a user togrip the hand hold. Each hand hold may be formed to have a slippagearrestor, e.g., a curved protrusion that keeps a user's hand fromslipping off an end of the hand hold.

The connector may be a rope, a cord, a rubber piece, a plastic strip, achain or combinations thereof The joining of a connector to a hand holdmay be by stapling, adhesive, fusing, knotting, or other methods knownin the art.

The present invention may include a container for portable storage. Thiscontainer may be a draw-string bag. The present invention may furtherinclude a container of shoe sole adhesive for coating the soles of theusers' shoes to reduce slippage during the two-person sit-ups. Thisadhesive makes the soles “tacky” but does not permanently bond the solesof one user's shoes to the other user's shoes. The present invention mayalso include an adhesive remover. The present invention may also includeone or more exerciser pads. These exerciser pads may be roll-up padssecured by hook and loop fasteners. The present invention may includeinformation pertaining to the use and care of the present invention.

The present invention is designed for two people. While severalpositions are possible it is preferable that each person is seated onthe floor facing the other with the soles of the first person's feettouching the soles of the second person's feet. Each person's knees maybe bent or may be in the locked position. The portable exercise deviceis positioned such that one person grips the first handle, preferablywith two hands, and the other person grips the second handle in likefashion. The two people then alternate between a leaning forwardposition and a pulling backward position.

Each handle may be of a cylindrical design, or may be formed in othershapes, such as a multi-sided design, e.g. with a triangular crosssection, octagonal cross section. There may be finger-grip type ofindentions formed in or on the handle to aid in gripping. There may alsobe coatings or materials adhered to the handle to minimize hand slippageduring the exercise. Portions of the handles, e.g. the ends, may becurved to improve each person's grip.

The connector may be permanently affixed to the two handles, or may bereleasable. Each handle may have at least one cavity or at least onehole to facilitate assembly with the connector. In some embodimentsthere is a plurality of connectors.

One aspect of the present invention is that it facilitates two-personsit-ups.

Another aspect of the present invention is that it is easy to use.

Another aspect of the present invention is that it can be madeinexpensively.

Another aspect of the present invention is that it can be made ofreadily available materials.

Another aspect of the present invention is that it can be easily storedand transported.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will bepresented in more detail in the following specification of the inventionand the accompanying figures, which illustrate by way of example theprinciples of the invention.

There are additional features of the invention that will be describedhereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claimsappended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least oneembodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in thefollowing description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention iscapable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out invarious ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology employed herein are for the purpose of description andshould not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention, together with further advantages thereof, may best beunderstood by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a hand hold assembly accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a top plan view of a hand hold assembly according toone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side plan view of a hand hold assembly according toone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front plan view of a hand hold assembly accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a sectional view of a connector end affixed to handhold connection point according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference toa few preferred embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. In the following description, numerous specific details areset forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the presentinvention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, thatthe present invention may be practiced without some or all of thesespecific details. In other instances, well known operations have notbeen described in detail so not to unnecessarily obscure the presentinvention.

Referring now to FIG. 1 through FIG. 5, a hand pulling assembly 1 iscomprised of a first hand hold 100, a second hand hold 200, and aconnector 300.

First hand hold 100 has a first hand hold connection point 105, a firsthand hold first end 110 and a first hand hold second end 120. Secondhand hold 200 has a second hand hold connection point 205, a second handhold first end 210 and a second hand hold second end 220.

Connector 300 has a connector first end 310 and a connector second end320. The connector first end 310 is connected to the first hand holdconnection point 105. The connector second end 320 is connected to thesecond hand hold connection point 205. This joining is preferablypermanent, but may be releasable in some embodiments.

First hand hold 100 and second hand hold 200 are preferably made fromwood, but other materials such as plastic, metal, or other suitablematerials, or combinations of wood, plastic, metal, or other suitablematerial, may also be used. First hand hold 100 and second hand 200 arepreferably each 12 inches in length and have preferably have fingergrooves. First hand hold 100 and second hand hold 200 are preferablycoated with a neoprene non-slip finish to reduce hand slippage duringthe exercise. Straps equipped with hook-and-loop fasteners may be usedto restrain a user's hands from slipping off of the handle duringexecution of a two-person sit-up regimen, either as a separate part oraffixed as a part of the portable exercise device.

First hand hold 100 and second hand hold 200 may be further comprised ofat least one handle logo/personalization area. This area may identify acompany, a team, a person, or the like.

Connector 300 may be a rope, a wire, an elastic tube, a belt, linkedloops, a chain, a bar, or combinations of these materials. Connector 300is preferably a metal chain that is 27 inches in length as measured fromhandle to handle. Connector 300 is preferably securely connected at thecenter of each handle. In embodiments having a plurality of connector300, the connectors will be positioned so as to not interfere with thegripping process. Connector 300 may be further comprised of at least oneconnector logo/personalization area. This connector logo/personalizationarea may identify a company, a team, a person, or the like.

In some embodiments the present invention may be further comprised ofmeans for securing one person's feet to the other person's feet tofacilitate the sit-up exercise, e.g. tacky adhesive, elastic bands,strips of material with hook-and-loop fasteners,

In some embodiments the present invention may be further comprised of acarrying case or bag designed for transport of the hand pulling assemblyand other exercise accessories. The present invention may be furthercomprised of an exercise mat that rolls up and fits inside the carryingcase or bag.

In an exemplary embodiment the present invention is comprised of a firsthand hold, a second hand hold and a connector that joins the first handhold to the second hand hold at a first connection point. The presentinvention may be further comprised of finger holds formed on the firsthand hold and the second hand hold. Each hand hold

In one embodiment the portable exercise device kit for conductingtwo-person sit-ups is comprised of a first hand hold, a second hand holdand at least one of a connector. The connector is comprised of aconnector first end and a connector second end. Also included in the kitis a container of tacky shoe adhesive, an exerciser pad capable of beingrolled up, a storage bag that holds some or all of the otheraforementioned items. The first hand hold has one or more of a firsthand hold connection point. The second hand hold has one or more of asecond hand hold connection point. The connector first end is fastenedto the first hand hold connection and the connector second end isfastened to the second hand hold connection. If only one connector isused, the connection points in the center of each hand hold are used. Iftwo connectors are used, the connection points are selected in abalanced fashion. When multiple connectors are used they generally arepositioned to be substantially parallel to each other, but in somearrangements some of the connectors will be connected so as to benon-parallel. The first hand hold has a first hand hold finger grips, afirst hand hold slippage arrestor, a first hand hold restraining strapand a first hand hold logo/personalization area. The second hand holdhas a second hand hold finger grips, a second hand hold slippagearrestor, a second hand hold restraining strap and a second hand holdlogo/personalization area.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that, although specificembodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, various modifications may be made without deviating fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. For example, many of the featuresand components described above in the context of a particular portableexercise device configuration can be incorporated into otherconfigurations in accordance with other embodiments of the invention.Accordingly, the invention is not limited except by the appended claims.

1. A portable exercise device kit for conducting two-person sit-upscomprising: a hand pulling assembly comprised of a first hand hold, asecond hand hold and at least one of a connector having a connectorfirst end and a connector second end; a container of tacky shoeadhesive; an exerciser pad capable of being rolled up; and and a storagebag capable for holding the contents of the portable exercise devicekit; wherein the first hand hold has at least one of a first hand holdconnection point, the second hand hold has at least one of a second handhold connection point, the connector first end is fastened to the firsthand hold connection and the connector second end is fastened to thesecond hand hold connection, wherein the first hand hold has a firsthand hold finger grips, a first hand hold slippage arrestor, a firsthand hold restraining strap and a first hand hold logo/personalizationarea, wherein the second hand hold has a second hand hold finger grips,a second hand hold slippage arrestor, a second hand hold restrainingstrap and a second hand hold logo/personalization area.
 2. The portableexercise device kit of claim 1, wherein each first hand hold connectionpoint and each second hand hold connection point are positioned atsubstantially corresponding positions with each other.
 3. The portableexercise device kit of claim 2, wherein each connector is substantiallyperpendicular to the first hand hold and the second hand hold.
 4. Theportable exercise device kit of claim 4, wherein the first hand hold andthe second hand hold are coated with a non-slip finish.
 5. The portableexercise device kit of claim 5, wherein the non-slip finish is aneoprene non-slip finish.
 6. The portable exercise device kit of claim6, wherein the connector is a rope, an elastic tube, a belt, linkedloops, a chain or a bar.
 7. A portable exercise device comprising afirst handle having a first hand shape and a first handle midpoint, asecond handle having a second handle shape and a second handle midpointand a connector having a first end and a second end wherein the firstend is affixed at the first handle midpoint and the second end isaffixed at the second handle midpoint.
 8. The portable exercise deviceof claim 7, wherein the first handle shape is cylindrical and the secondhandle shape is cylindrical.
 9. The portable exercise device of claim 7,wherein the first handle shape is non-cylindrical and the second handleshape is non-cylindrical.